Arthur Herman describes why Britain even had an empire

Whitaker Marshal
   Author Arthur Herman enjoys writing about England and his best sea-faring book on Great Britain and its empire is called "To Rule The Waves" and he basically covers in this reading how the British navy was the most powerful of the world and is the reason it had such a long lasting empire. The British Navy shaped the modern world and ushered in an incredible world of trade and globalization which we continue to feel the affects to this day. Herman covers all the great British sea captains from nelson to Cook to Drake and Hawkins.

 He even gets a little Captain Kidd and other infamous masters of a sea for a time. The English destruction of the Dutch fleets through their various wars was perhaps the most crucial moment of the British navy in maintaining their superiority for so long.  This book is chalk full of information of the British navy and empire supceded its rivals and eventfully overtook Spain and prevented the French empire from surpassing it. Herman does a incredible job setting the stage to the eventual Spanish failed invasion of England in 1588 and the ultimate British Navy victory over Napoleon's navy at the battle of  Trafalgar in 1805 which affirmed British master of Europe and all the worlds waters. The importance of the Navy does not go overlooked and is the theme of Herman's writing as it allowed important trade and profits to accumulate through the generations trade was more about keeping the British Empire in firm control and open access to the seas was eventually a goal of the British Empire. This empire also benefited from slavery and cheap labor and eventually its leaders looked inward for their success and decided cheap labor more than chattel slavery was a path they decided the world needed and needed for future generations to look more favorably upon. The small nation of Great Britain was lucky to have been a power in an area of Europe that had more promising upstarts and kingdoms developing and only its access to strong shipbuilding material and superior commanders allowed the British to be masters for so long. the British navy would lose its power and eventually follow on down the same path as Captain Kidd as the United States following the World Wars would become the sea police man of the world.